Developing Your Career

4 Tips to Take Your Online Presence to the Next Level

Are you converting your social network connections into influence? Influence is the real measure of value on social media; and we grow our influence at the rate we grow our networks. But increasing online influence is much more than simply counting your connections. Instead, you need to consider the communities or groups you belong to within social networks and how you engage within those groups. To increase influence you must continually expand your reach, frequently engage and share content that adds value.

Here are some tips to grow your “influence” network:

Update your status two to three times per week. Discuss a conference or training session you’ve attended. Share an update on your current projects or the latest book you’re reading. Post article links on interesting topics related to your industry or function.

Comment on promotions or career changes. Congratulate your connections on new jobs (whether promotions or lateral moves) and secure any new contact information.

Respond to posts in your news feed. Acknowledge posts with a brief, on-point comment; or keep the conversation going by sharing relevant information that informs and adds value.

Participate in group discussions. Enhance your visibility and influence by becoming a social media “conversationalist.” Try to contribute at least one comment or observation per week.

People are influenced by people with whom they share a common bond. We do that through sharing stories and ideas that connect us. One of the basic principles of social networks is that the more you give, the more you get. Give to your network in ways that are continually adding value.

4 Responses to “4 Tips to Take Your Online Presence to the Next Level”

I’ve also found people very appreciative (and responsive) when I send them a link to an article. LinkedIn makes it super simple: See an article or blog post that you think would interest one or more of your contacts? Hit Share and choose Send to Individuals. Just fill in first names, and LinkedIn will do the rest. Hit Send and you can email several people at a time with a personal note. I use this for articles I may not want to share with all my contacts, but maybe a subset or a few. (This works inside or outside of Linkedin – on any site that allows sharing via LinkedIn.)